The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of geranium plant, botanically known as Pelargonium zonale, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99.
xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 is a product of a planned breeding program which had the objective of creating new geranium cultivars with bright salmon-pink cup-shaped flowers, medium green foliage, and early to medium flowering response.
xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 was originated from a hybridization made by the inventor, Angelika Utecht, in a controlled breeding program in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Spain, in 1993. The female parent was a hybrid seedling, designated no. 978/6, characterized by light salmon-pink, semi-double flowers, dark green foliage with weak zonation, and compact plant habit, which had been derived from crosses between salmon-pink colored commercial varieties xe2x80x98Schxc3x6ne Helenaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,374), xe2x80x98Fidelioxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,752), and xe2x80x98Reginaxe2x80x99 (unpatented) with a tetraploid line of xe2x80x98Stadt Bernxe2x80x99 (unpatented).
The male parent of xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 was the commercial variety xe2x80x98Fishogxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,174), having light salmon-pink and white flowers, large, distinctly zoned, medium green leaves, and moderately vigorous growth.
xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross by the inventor, Angelika Utecht, in 1994 in a controlled environment in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Spain.
The first act of asexual reproduction of xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in autumn 1994 in a controlled environment in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Spain by Angelika Utecht. Horticultural examination of plants grown from the cuttings of the clone, initiated in May 1995 in Hillscheid, Federal Republic of Germany, and continuing thereafter, has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99, which in combination distinguish this geranium as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. weakly semi-double, salmon colored flowers with a small white eye;
2. semi-spherically shaped, medium to large umbels;
3. medium green foliage with strong zonation;
4. medium sized, round, and well-branched plant habit;
5. early to medium flowering response, and permanent flowering; and
6. good outdoor performance even in rainy periods.
xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength without any change in the genotype of the plant. The following observations, measurements, and comparisons describe plants grown in Hillscheid, Germany, and in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 is the variety xe2x80x98Schxc3x6ne Helenaxe2x80x99. In comparision to xe2x80x98Schxc3x6ne Helenaxe2x80x99, xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 has a more intense salmon flower color, with less distinct white margin and with a small white xe2x80x98eyexe2x80x99 at the base of the upper petals, and somewhat larger and more cup-shaped florets, while xe2x80x98Schoxc3x6ne Helenaxe2x80x99 develops more inner petals. Furthermore, xe2x80x98Fishelenxe2x80x99 has much stronger zonation on leaves, and somewhat better branching characteristics thereby developing a more rounded and more uniform plant habit.